Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Ireland is facing its biggest existential threat since the last economic recession. Ireland is the most exposed country in the European Union in terms of these tariffs. There is doubt that these will disproportionately impact Ireland. Without question, Ireland is in real danger here, yet the Government is suffering from inertia. It is incredible to think that Simon Harris is meeting Howard Lutnick today while the tariffs are in place. Surely this should have happened in advance. It is incredible that this is the first debate we have had on this issue. Aontú was the first party to bring a motion in this regard before the Dáil today. Despite this huge threat facing us, there are still no Oireachtas committees - no finance or trade committees - and despite it being four months after the general election.

This Government has a track record of outsourcing important issues to the European Union. We have seen politicians right across the Government who talk like bystanders on this matter. The European Union has a track record of ensuring that the big economies are looked after first. During the banking bailout, for example, Ireland paid 42% of the costs of the European banking crisis. Ireland had the highest per capita cost, at €9,000 per person, despite accounting for 1% of the population of Europe. The Mercosur deal is another example. The interests of German car manufacturers are being put ahead of the interests of Irish farmers, which will decimate the Irish economy in the west in particular. This will be the case in County Mayo and right across the western seaboard.

I wish to address another issue and some untruths spoken here today in the Chamber and circulated to the media in County Mayo. Aontú supports FDI. It is a good thing and should be nurtured and attracted. It is an integral part of the Irish economy. Without question, however, the Irish economy is incredibly reliant on the FDI sector. For example, corporation tax revenues accounted for 27% of our budget receipts last year. Of that corporate tax total, 40% was collected from ten companies. In a sense, then, ten chief financial officers are responsible for a huge proportion of the tax take in Ireland. There is no question but that the Irish economy is unbalanced. This is the truth. The comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, in response to our motion are, frankly, untrue. He can bury his head in the sand. He released a statement today suggesting we were criticising FDI as something liable to move. I mean talk about burying one's head in the sand. This is an existential crisis. It is time the Government stepped up to the plate and undertook proactive negotiations in connection with what is happening.

In reality, the Aontú perspective - we have spoken about this at length - is that this Government has rolled out the red carpet for FDI. This is what we also want to do for the companies in the indigenous SME sector, which are the backbone of the Irish economy. Right across County Mayo, businesses in town centres are closing. It is a major issue. It is critically important that we invest in and support the SME sector right across the country. It is also important that we develop our infrastructure. There are extensive infrastructural deficits in housing and transport, including there being no western rail corridor in County Mayo. We should be developing a road network and the western rail corridor across the west. We should also invest in renewable energy. County Mayo, for example, could be the hub of offshore renewable energy and solar panels in this country. I invite the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Dillon, to a debate on the topic on Midwest Radio or Castlebar Community Radio, for example, to discuss the importance of the tariff war to the economy of County Mayo and ensure we get the right balance. We could discuss all these issues. It is unfortunate that the Minister of State hides from debate in local media and, indeed, did so in pre-election debates too.

See this speech in context